On Leash

I spend much time walking my two dogs.

One of them, my Springer spaniel, Jed, I can let run free, off-leash. He keeps an eye on me and never strays too far, even though he's a high-energy guy who loves to race up and down the hillsides. He can be trusted to heel whenever I command him: through traffic, across streets, when other dogs are walking past, etc.

The other, my wimpy, neurotic Pomeranian, Sunny, needs a leash, as she has the single-minded tendency to run off to pursue her own agenda. More than once she has narrowly escaped death by car. Yikes! The other morning I let her off leash up in the hills, just to give her a bit more exercise running free. Within 15 minutes, I was furious with her. Initially, she lagged behind, sniffing this and that, totally ignoring my whistle. Then she trotted off in the opposite direction, forcing me to run her down and tackle her. Finally, she wandered into some thick bushes and wouldn't come out, no matter how forcefully (or sweetly) I called. I eventually crashed in after her, locating her near some rotten, dead creature, drug her out, and had to hoof it double-time back home in order to get to work on time...Grrr! On the way back home, scratched, sweaty, muddy, stinky, and plotting her swift transfer to the Animal Shelter, the Lord began to use her behavior to speak to me.

You see, I resemble Sunny much more in my relationship to the Lord than I do Jed. I ignore His summons, do my own thing, run off and hide from Him, and generally can't be trusted to stay in step with Him. I don't like this picture. It has been often said that D-O-G is G-O-D backwards, and I think it's true. I think the relationship of owner to pet is much like our relationship to God. And some of us aren't the most obedient, loyal, or well-behaved pets in the world!
So what does God have to do? He leashes us. I started thinking of the leashes in my life...straps that keep me from danger, disloyalty, hardship and heartache. One such leash is my health. Whenever I get on a manic, work-a-holic, Martha-ish kick, I get sick. The illness serves to slow me down, to get me into a position where the Lord can speak to me about HIS agenda, not mine. Another leash He uses is finances. While not a true shopper, I tend to look for things to buy when I'm unhappy or bored, gravitating to books. Then when the Amazon charge on my credit card shows up, I cringe, realizing I've substituted shopping for fellowship with the Lord. So I stop shopping and spend time reading, praying, and the all-important, LISTENING. Another leash He uses with me is relationship stress. When I get on a me-kick, my close relationships begin to fall apart. My first reaction is to blame my family and friends for their clingy codependency, until I finally humble myself enough to see my insensitivity and selfishness for what it really is.

I want to be off-leash. I want to be trustworthy, loyal and sensitive to the voice of the Lord. I want to be the child that doesn't have to be harnessed in the airport. I want to stay by His side and willingly, joyfully follow Him wherever He's going, ignoring the sometimes alluring scent of sin and self-gratification. He's much better than anything this world has to offer.

I'm actually grateful for His leash on me. It proves He loves me and cares for my well-being. Just as Sunny's leash protects her from loss and death, the Lord's leash protects me from self-destruction. I hate the leash...but I love it.
"Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12:7-11.